Rupelmonde Castle

Rupelmonde Castle lies in the village of Rupelmonde, in the province of Antwerp in the Flemish region in Belgium. Rupelmonde Castle is also known as the 'Graventoren'; which translates to the Count's Tower, or the 'Mercatortoren'.

Rupelmonde Castle was built by the Counts of Flanders in the 12th century on the left bank of the Scheldt River, directly opposite the mouth of the Rupel River, to defend these waterways. It was a large fortress with 17 towers, surrounded by a moat. From this castle, tolls were collected from passing ships.

Later, the castle was also used as a state prison, which played a significant role in regional history.

Robert III, Count of Flanders, imprisoned his eldest son, Louis of Nevers, here on charges of high treason.

In 1388, Zeger van Kortrijk, an ally of Guy of Dampierre, was beheaded at this site. Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, held Frank van Borssele, the husband of Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut, prisoner here. In 1538, an alleged witch, Kathelyne Duerincx, was imprisoned and tortured before being burned at the stake in nearby Sint-Niklaas. The famous cartographer Gerardus Mercator was also imprisoned here for seven months in 1544 on charges of heresy.

In 1678, during the conflict between Spanish and Dutch troops against the French, the castle was destroyed. It was never rebuilt and was used by locals as a quarry for cheap building materials.

In 1817, the castle ruins were demolished, except for a tower base and some connecting wall fragments. On these remains, Baron De Feltz built a tower of red Tournai limestone, which served as a hunting pavilion. In 1955, the tower was transformed into a museum about local history.

Today, the tower can be visited free of charge during office hours. The small but charming museum allows visitors to climb to the top of the tower and explore the intriguing subterranean tunnel with its cells beneath. A truly nice tower.

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